I. Undergraduate Program

Bachelors of Science degree

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics offers four options within the agricultural business bachelor of science degree program. They are agribusiness management, farm and ranch management, livestock business management, and international agriculture. All three options focus on the development of critical thinking, research, negotiation, and communication skills for students interested in a career in the Agriculture and Natural Resource field.

The Agribusiness degree follows a national study on Agribusiness Management education by the National Food and Agribusiness Management Education Commission (2006) that outlines what is an appropriate core: Management and economic decision-making, marketing, and finance. A brief description of minimum course requirements for each of the three options in agricultural business is given below. In addition, faculty advisers will work with students to tailor a curriculum to individual interests and goals.

agricultural operations;mall rural businesses;

community economics;

financial institutions;

agricultural and natural resources development and;

other pursuits where applied economic tools will be useful.

The program offers four options within the Agricultural Business degree:

Agribusiness Management

Farm and Ranch Management

Livestock Business Management

International Agriculture

Agribusiness Management Option

This curriculum is for students preparing for careers in the agribusiness field. Applied agricultural economics courses are supplemented with marketing, management, finance and other courses from the College of Business and production-oriented courses from other departments in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. This option prepares students for careers in agriculture and natural resources that are off of the farm or ranch, in banks, agribusiness companies, government, and nonprofits.

Minimum Course Requirements for Agricultural Business (B.S.) Majors with a Agribusiness Management Option4

Agricultural economics 1020, 3400, 4050 or MKT 3210 (counts for upper-division AGEC and business credit), 4060, 4500; either 4450 or 4830 or 4840 or 4880; 3 hours of AGEC electives

213

Supporting agriculture (other than agricultural economics)

9

Statistics

4

Computers

2-3

Supporting Economics ECON 3010 and 3020

6

Business (ACCT and 1020; and 9 hours of 3000-4000 level business courses)

15

Electives

15-16

Total Hours

121

1Requirement to be satisfied by a WB course other than AGEC 3400.

2All majors are required to take MATH 1400 and MATH 2350.

3At least 18 of these hours must be in upper-level (3000 or above) courses. A maximum of 3 hours of AGEC 4910 and 4930 may be used to satisfy the agricultural economics credit hour requirement.

4Majors are subject to university studies requirements and must have a minimum of 48 hours of upper-level (3000 and 4000) course work.

Farm and Ranch Management Option

This curriculum is for students intending to work as operators or professional managers of farm or ranches, or in fields that work directly with farms and ranches. These can include banks, government agencies, agricultural service companies, and others. The option is well suited for students interested in the field of agricultural finance.

In this option, courses in farm and ranch management, finance, and marketing are supplemented by courses in the science of agriculture and natural resources: Soils, crops, range management, veterinary sciences and animal science, with electives in other areas.

Minimum Course Requirements for Agricultural Business (B.S.) Majors with a Farm and Ranch Management Option4

3At least 18 of these hours must be in upper-level (3000 or above) courses. A maximum of 3 hours of AGEC 4910 and 4930 may be used to satisfy the agricultural economics credit hour requirement.

4Majors are subject to university studies requirements and must have a minimum of 48 hours of upper-level (3000 and 4000) course work.

Livestock Business Management Option

This option is for students with a strong interest in livestock management at all levels. Tailored after the Farm and Ranch Management Option it allows students to gain significant depth in Animal Science classes. Students take 36 credit hours in the Biological Science curriculums to earn a Minor in Animal Science Veterinary Science Minor [plus LIFE 101 and CHEM 100, which count as SB and SE]. Students take 27 credit hours in the far right column for the Livestock Option WITHOUT MINOR

Minimum Course Requirements for Agricultural Business (B.S.) Majors within the Livestock Business Management Option4

3At least 18 of these hours must be in upper-level (3000 or above) courses. A maximum of 3 hours of AGEC 4910 and 4930 may be used to satisfy the agricultural economics credit hour requirement.

4Majors are subject to university

** can be taken to satisfy multiple categories.

5??? See Other supporting ag courses FDSC 2040

International Agriculture Option

This curriculum is for students who desire training related to international agricultural business, and with agricultural and economic problems of developing nations. International trade and relations, world food production, agricultural and economic geography, economic development and comparative systems are emphasized in this program.

Minimum Course Requirements for Agricultural Business (B.S.) Majors with the International Agriculture Option3

Supporting International4 POLS 2310 or 3220 or 3230 or 3270 or 4240 or 4250 or 4330 or 3220; GEOG 1020 or 1030 or 3030 or 3050 or 3550; SOC/INST 4110 or SOC/INST 4300 or SOC 4600; AGEC 4930, BUSN 4540, MKT/INST 4540 and other pre-approved courses

15

Foreign Languages 1010, 1020, 2030

12

Electives

1-2

Total Hours

121

1All majors are required to take MATH 1400 and MATH 2350.

2At least 18 of these hours must be in upper-level (3000 or above) courses. A maximum of three hours of AGEC 4910 and 4930 may be used to satisfy the agricultural economics credit hour requirement.

3Majors are subject to university studies requirements and must have a minimum of 48 hours of upper-level (3000 and 4000) course work.

4One course in each of political science, sociology and geography and recreation is required plus a minimum of two additional courses. A maximum of 3 hours of AGEC 4930 can be applied to this requirement. Six hours of international social science, business and economics can be waived if the student minors in a foreign language.

This curriculum is for students intending to work for any sector of the livestock industry, ranging from input suppliers, to ranches, feedlots, meat packing companies, marketing and sales agents, futures/commodities exchange groups, policy makers, and international trade organizations. In this option, courses in farm and ranch management, agricultural finance, marketing, and trade are supplemented with courses in animal science, biology, range management, food science, data analysis, and other disciplines. Students will gain a broad understanding of both the business and science of the livestock industry.

Students interested in natural resource or environmental issues or careers may complete any of the three options within agricultural business offered by the department with an environment and natural resource emphasis. Inquiries about environment and natural resource concentrations in agricultural business should be directed to the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. For more information on the Dual ENR program go to the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.

The department also offers five minor programs. These five minors are to give students majoring in other undergraduate curricula in the university a concentration of work in any of the four specialized undergraduate curricula offered by the department or in general agricultural economics. Each minor requires 27 hours in prescribed course work including 6 hours in supporting agriculture. Students need to plan their course work to meet course prerequisites.

II. Graduate Program

Masters of Science degree:

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics offers graduate work leading to the master of science degree. An agricultural business degree option is available, as well as the more traditional agricultural economics M.S. degree. Degree candidates may concentrate their work in one of the following areas: farm and ranch management, production economics, marketing and price analysis, agricultural policy, natural resource economics, agricultural finance, community development, or international agriculture. Degree candidates for the agricultural business degree may concentrate their work on management, marketing or finance. See the Graduate Bulletin for more details and information.

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics offers graduate work leading to the Master of Science degree. Students may choose among major options in the areas of agricultural and applied economics and agricultural business. The agricultural economics major emphasizes research with any of the following focus areas:

production economics and management,

marketing and market analysis,

resource and environmental economics,

international agriculture, and

economic and rural development

The agricultural business option offers advanced skills to students who desire professional careers in the business sector. Students in the agricultural business option may concentrate their coursework and writing in management, marketing, or finance. Dual majors in water resources, and environment and natural resources are also offered.

Finally, the Department offers a graduate minor in applied economics. This program is for currently enrolled graduate students in other disciplines seeking a foundation in economics as well as their major discipline.

Program Specific Admission Requirements

Undergraduate major in agricultural economics or economics is not required.

Students may be required to complete program prerequisite courses, without graduate credit, that were not completed in their undergraduate education.

Specifically, students who have not completed at least one course in calculus, statistics, intermediate microeconomic theory and intermediate macroeconomic theory will be required to complete these courses without graduate credit during their first semester in residence.

Program Specific Degree Requirements

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics

The following courses constitute the M.S. in Agricultural Economics core requirements and are required of both Plan A and Plan B candidates (20 hours).

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics/Water Resources; Plan A (thesis):

Please refer to Water Resources Degree program in this Bulletin for updated degree requirements.

Achieve a cumulative 3.0 GPA in the AGEC M.S. core requirements.

The student's graduate committee, nominated by the major professor, the student and the department head determine the final program of study and business analysis topic, which must be in the water resources area.

Presentation of research results at a formal public seminar.

Completion of an oral examination covering the student's thesis research administered by the graduate committee.

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics/Environment and Natural Resources (ENR); Plan A (thesis):

Students must complete the 26 credit hour agricultural and applied economics including M.S. core requirements plus 4 thesis hours and 15 credit hours in environment and natural resources, as approved by the student's committee and the ENR academic adviser;

Achieve a cumulative 3.0 GPA in the AGEC M.S. core requirements;

The student's graduate committee, nominated by the major professor, the student and the department head determine the final program of study and business analysis topic, which must be in the area of environment and natural resources;

Presentation of research results at a formal public seminar;

Completion of an oral examination covering the student's thesis research administered by the graduate committee.

Graduate Minor in Applied Economics:

This program is for non-economics students who want a deeper understanding of economic decision-making. This minor is designed for students getting graduate degrees in the biological science, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences. To enroll students must be in an existing graduate program in good standing,

One other 4000 level or 5000 level Agricultural Economics or economics courses and another applicable 4000 or 5000 level course approved by the Committee

6

Communication

AGEC 5880 Advanced Seminar or a similar course in their major program

1

Ecosystem Science and Economics Ph.D.

This program provides students pursuing a PhD in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management at the University of Wyoming with sufficient economics to integrate economic modeling and analysis into ecosystem science to address the nexus between ecology and social and economic policy. Students with this training can tap into positions that need this interdisciplinary background including the BLM, USFS, NRCS, USDA-ARS, university extension positions and other interdisciplinary natural resource management programs within universities. Often these employers do not hire economists, but are interested in hiring natural scientists with advanced training in applied economics. Employees with such training could improve the economic efficiency of public natural resource management and policies as well as specialized positions in some industries.

A PhD-level range economist graduating from the proposed program will be expected to possess the knowledge and skills listed above under both the REWM and economics subheadings. Some students will possess a portion of this knowledge before they enter the PhD program, through undergraduate or master’s-level coursework. A student’s PhD required coursework will be determined by their dissertation committee, who will compare the student’s existing knowledge and skills to those listed above. They will only be required to take coursework in areas in which they are not yet proficient, or areas in which greater depth/expertise is needed to complete their dissertation project or qualify for the jobs they desire. A student with a background in economics will emphasize more training in ecology and a student with a background in ecology will emphasize more training in economics. Regardless the program is housed in Ecosystem Science and Management and economics serves as Field to the broader degree program. For a complete description of the Ph.D program in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management, and the procedures to apply for admittance please visit the propestive student web page on the Departmental website for Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management.